internet banking project

117
A PROJECT REPORT ON INTERNET BANKING SUBMITTED BY SHRUTI MATHUR FOR THE DEGREE OF THE BACHELOR OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF PROF. SMITHA RAMAKRISHNAN S.I.E.S. COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCE AND COMMERCE 1

Upload: umesh-yadav

Post on 06-May-2015

1.917 views

Category:

Business


5 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Internet banking project

A PROJECT REPORT ON

INTERNET BANKING

SUBMITTED BY

SHRUTI MATHUR

FOR THE DEGREE OF

THE BACHELOR OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

PROF. SMITHA RAMAKRISHNAN

S.I.E.S. COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCE AND COMMERCE

NERUL, NAVI MUMBAI-400706

ACADEMIC YEAR 2009-2010

1

Page 2: Internet banking project

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Shruti Mathur student of S.I.E.S. COLLEGE

OF ARTS, SCIENCE AND COMMERCE, NERUL has completed

the project on Internet Banking in the academic year 2009-2010.

The information submitted in this project is true and original to the

best of my knowledge.

Prof. Smitha R. Dr. Minu Thomas

( BMS Co-ordinator & Project Guide ) ( Principal )

2

Page 3: Internet banking project

DECLARATION

I, Shruti Mathur studying in TYBMS, of S.I.E.S.

COLLEGE OF ARTS, SCIENCE AND COMMERCE, NERUL

hereby declare that I have completed this project on Internet

Banking in the year 2009-2010 as per the requirements of Mumbai

University as a part of Bachelor in Management Studies ( BMS)

programme.

The information presented through this project is true and

original to the best of my knowledge.

Date:

Place: Navi Mumbai

SHRUTI MATHUR

3

Page 4: Internet banking project

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I, Shruti Mathur would take this opportunity to thank the

University for providing me an opportunity to study Internet

Banking. This has been a huge learning experience for me.

With great pleasure I take this opportunity to acknowledge people

who have made this project work possible.

First of all I would sincerely like to thank Prof. Smitha for helping

me to gather information and guiding me for doing this project.

I would also like to thank the teaching staff of my college, my

colleagues, librarians and other people for providing their help as

and when required to complete this project.

SHRUTI MATHUR

4

Page 5: Internet banking project

Index

Page No.

Executive Summary 9

Research Methodology 10

1. History of Banking in India 11

2. Internet Banking 142.1 Introduction2.2 Features2.3 Role & Significance

3. Internet Banking in India 173.1 The Indian Scenario3.2 Products & Services offered

3.2.1 Internet banking3.2.2 Bill Payment3.2.3 Business banking3.2.4 Lending3.2.5 Imaging3.2.6 Account Alerts3.2.7 Account to Account Transfers3.2.8 Account Opening & Funding3.2.9 Marketing Campaign Manager3.2.10 Secure Messaging

3.3 Future Scenario

4. Risks involved in Internet Banking 224.1 Strategic Risk4.2 Transaction Risk4.3 Compliance Risk4.4 Reputation Risk4.5 Information Security Risk

5

Page 6: Internet banking project

4.6 Credit Risk4.7 Interest Rate Risk4.8 Liquidity Risk4.9 Price Risk4.10 Foreign Exchange Risk4.11 Cross-Border Risk4.12 Operational Risk4.13 System architecture & Design4.14 Risk of Unfair Completion

5. Pros & cons of Internet Banking 265.1 Pros of Internet Banking

5.1.1 Convenience5.1.2 Bonuses5.1.3 Expediency5.1.4 Scheduling Payments5.1.5 Learning Curve5.1.6 Paperless

5.2 Cons of Internet Banking5.2.1 Limited Access5.2.2 Difficulty in Resolving Disputes5.2.3 Security Concerns5.2.4 Identity confirmation5.2.5 Customer service5.2.6 Accessibility5.2.7 Fees5.2.8 Other Threats

6. Internet Banking: Challenges for Banks & Regulators 29

6.1 Internet Banking in the United States6.2 Basel Committee’s Electronic Banking Group6.3 E-Finance Oversight6.4 Security Controls

6.4.1 Authentication6.4.2 Non-Repudiation6.4.3 Segregation of Duties

6.5 Legal & Reputational Risk Management6.5.1 Privacy6.5.2 Availability6.5.3 Incident Response

6

Page 7: Internet banking project

7. Impact of E-Transactions 357.1 E-Commerce Value Chain7.2 Trends in the use of Electronic Transactions

7.2.1 Cheques Truncation7.2.2 Lock-Box Truncation7.2.3 Certificates

7.3 E-Transaction Authentication Issues7.4 Digital Signatures

8. What do computers do in banks? 38

8.1 Single Window System8.2 Any Time Banking8.3 Automated Teller machine (ATM)8.4 Shared Payment Network system (SPNS)8.5 Customer Service8.6 Telebanking8.7 Home Banking8.8 Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT)8.9 Plastic Cards as Media for Payment

8.9.1 Credit Card8.9.2 Debit Card8.9.3 Smart Card8.9.4 ATM Card

8.10 Intra-Bank & Inter-Bank Applications

9. Credit Card Frauds 459.1 Meaning9.2 Aware of Credit cards9.3 Advantages of Credit Cards9.4 Credit Card Frauds9.5 Prevention of Frauds

9.5.1 Duplicate Card9.5.2 White Plastic9.5.3 Banker’s Role9.5.4 Cyber laws9.5.5 Altering Sales Terminals9.5.6 Internet Relays9.5.7 Monitoring Deposits9.5.8 Risk Management9.5.9 Central Credit Card Clearing House

7

Page 8: Internet banking project

9.5.10 Loss of Credit Cards in Transit9.5.11 Fraud Consciousness9.5.12 Physical Evidence9.5.13 Check the Handwriting

10. Banks control in Online Banking 4910.1 Will Banks control Online Banking10.2 Banking in Cyber World

10.2.1 Internet Purchases without Payment Gateways10.2.2 Risk of Gateways

11. Case Study on State Bank of India 5211.1 SBI Bank11.2 E-Mail fraud11.3 Online Fraud11.4 Recommendations11.5 Suggestions

12. Banking in the Next Century 5812.1 Latest Trends

12.1.1 Financial Liberalization12.1.2 Disintermediation12.1.3 Globalization12.1.4 Technological Innovation

12.2 Conclusion

13.Primary Data Analysis 60

14.Conclusion 61

15.Questionnaire 62

16.Bibliography 65

8

Page 9: Internet banking project

9

Page 10: Internet banking project

Executive Summary

Internet is increasingly used by banks as a channel for receiving instructions and delivering their products and services to their customers. Different banks follow different levels for providing services on internet. Compared to banks abroad, India banks offering online services still have a long way to go in

10

Page 11: Internet banking project

terms of number of users and sufficient infrastructure in place.

Various security options are in place or are being looked at; however, Certification Authority is still missing in India. Also there are various risks associated with internet banking such as Operational Risk, Security Risk, Cross Border Risks, Legal Risk, etc.

The Basel Committee’s Electronic Banking Group (EBG) in late 1999, tried to develop risk management guidance for Internet banking that will guide bankers and promote effective and consistent bank supervision around the world.

The use of Information Technology in banking enables the banks to provide Any Time Banking, Customer Service, Telebanking, Home Banking, Plastic Card Services, etc., facilities. However, these facilities along with certain advantages these have certain disadvantages too.

A successful internet banking solution offers:-

Exceptional rates on saving, cash deposits, free bill payment & rebates on ATM surcharges.

Credit cards with low rates

Easy online application for all accounts, including personal loans & mortgages

24 hours account access.

Concluding this, India is on threshold of a major banking revolution with the invasion of net banking and with the concept of payment gateway coming in; banks are vying with one another for the lion’s share in the market.

In this report, I attempt to enlist the various products & services offered by different banks in India, risks & challenges involved in internet banking, different uses of information technology such as Shared Payment Network System (SPNS). ATM, Any Time Banking, Electronic Funds Transfer, Telebanking etc., banks controls, main issues concerning online banking & the scope for online banking in the near future.

11

Page 12: Internet banking project

Research Methodology

Primary Data

Customer Survey through Questionnaire

Case study on State Bank of India

12

Page 13: Internet banking project

Visiting internet banking services websites

Secondary Data

College Library

Internet Websites

1. History of Banking in India

Without a sound and effective banking system in India it cannot have a healthy economy. The banking system of India should not only be hassle free but it should be able to meet new challenges posed by the technology and any other external and internal factors.

13

Page 14: Internet banking project

For the past three decades India's banking system has several outstanding achievements to its credit. The most striking is its extensive reach. It is no longer confined to only metropolitans or cosmopolitans in India. In fact, Indian banking system has reached even to the remote corners of the country. This is one of the main reasons of India's growth process.

The government's regular policy for Indian bank since 1969 has paid rich dividends with the nationalisation of 14 major private banks of India. Not long ago, an account holder had to wait for hours at the bank counters for getting a draft or for withdrawing his own money. Today, he has a choice. Gone are days when the most efficient bank transferred money from one branch to other in two days. Now it is simple as instant messaging or dial a pizza. Money has become the order of the day.

The first bank in India, though conservative, was established in 1786. From 1786 till today, the journey of Indian Banking System can be segregated into three distinct phases. They are as mentioned below:

Early phase from 1786 to 1969 of Indian Banks Nationalisation of Indian Banks and up to 1991 prior to Indian banking sector Reforms. New phase of Indian Banking System with the advent of Indian Financial & Banking Sector Reforms after 1991.

To make these phases more explanatory, the scenarios are prefixed as Phase I, Phase II and Phase III.

Phase I

The General Bank of India was set up in the year 1786. Next came Bank of Hindustan and Bengal Bank. The East India Company established Bank of Bengal (1809), Bank of Bombay (1840) and Bank of Madras (1843) as independent units and called it Presidency Banks. These three banks were amalgamated in 1920 and Imperial Bank of India was established which started as private shareholders banks, mostly Europeans shareholders.

14

Page 15: Internet banking project

In 1865 Allahabad Bank was established and first time exclusively by Indians, Punjab National Bank Ltd. was set up in 1894 with headquarters at Lahore. Between 1906 and 1913, Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Indian Bank, and Bank of Mysore were set up. Reserve Bank of India came in 1935.

During the first phase the growth was very slow and banks also experienced periodic failures between 1913 and 1948. There were approximately 1100 banks, mostly small. To streamline the functioning and activities of commercial banks, the Government of India came up with The Banking Companies Act, 1949 which was later changed to Banking Regulation Act 1949 as per amending Act of 1965 (Act No. 23 of 1965). Reserve Bank of India was vested with extensive powers for the supervision of banking in India as the Central Banking Authority.

During those days public had lesser confidence in the banks. As an aftermath, deposit mobilisation was slow. Abreast of it the savings bank facility provided by the Postal department was comparatively safer. Moreover, funds were largely given to traders.

Phase II

Government took major steps in this Indian Banking Sector Reform after independence. In 1955, it nationalised Imperial Bank of India with extensive banking facilities on a large scale especially in rural and semi-urban areas. It formed State Bank of India to act as the principal agent of RBI and to handle banking transactions of the Union and State Governments all over the country.

15

Page 16: Internet banking project

Seven banks forming subsidiary of State Bank of India was nationalised in 1960 on 19th July, 1969, major process of nationalisation was carried out. It was the effort of the then Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi. 14 major commercial banks in the country were nationalised.

Second phase of nationalisation Indian Banking Sector Reform was carried out in 1980 with seven more banks. This step brought 80% of the banking segment in India under Government ownership.

The following are the steps taken by the Government of India to Regulate Banking Institutions in the Country:

1949: Enactment of Banking Regulation Act. 1955: Nationalisation of State Bank of India. 1959: Nationalisation of SBI subsidiaries. 1961: Insurance cover extended to deposits. 1969: Nationalisation of 14 major banks. 1971: Creation of credit guarantee corporation. 1975: Creation of regional rural banks. 1980: Nationalisation of seven banks with deposits over 200 crore.

After the nationalisation of banks, the branches of the public sector bank India rose to approximately 800% in deposits and advances took a huge jump by 11,000%. Banking in the sunshine of Government ownership gave the public implicit faith and immense confidence about the sustainability of these institutions.

Phase III

This phase has introduced many more products and facilities in the banking sector in its reforms measure. In 1991, under the chairmanship of M Narasimham, a committee was set up by his name which worked for the liberalisation of banking practices.

The country is flooded with foreign banks and their ATM stations. Efforts

16

Page 17: Internet banking project

are being put to give a satisfactory service to customers. Phone banking and net banking is introduced. The entire system became more convenient and swift. Time is given more importance than money.

The financial system of India has shown a great deal of resilience. It is sheltered from any crisis triggered by any external macroeconomics shock as other East Asian Countries suffered. This is all due to a flexible exchange rate regime, the foreign reserves are high, the capital account is not yet fully convertible, and banks and their customers have limited foreign exchange exposure.

2. Internet Banking

2.1 Introduction

The precursor for the modern home online banking services were the distance banking services over electronic media from the early '80s. The term online became popular in the late '80s and referred to the use of a terminal, keyboard and TV (or monitor) to access the banking system using a phone line. ‘Home banking’ can also refer to the use of a numeric keypad

17

Page 18: Internet banking project

to send tones down a phone line with instructions to the bank. Online services started in New York in 1981 when four of the city’s major banks (Citibank, Chase Manhattan, Chemical and Manufacturers Hanover) offered home banking services using the videotext system. Because of the commercial failure of videotext these banking services never became popular except in France where the use of videotext (Minitel) was subsidized by the telecom provider and the UK, where the Prestel system was used.

With cybercafés and kiosks springing up in different cities access to the Net is going to be easy. Internet banking (also referred as e banking) is the latest in this series of technological wonders in the recent past involving use of Internet for delivery of banking products & services. Even the Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Internet research emphasised that Web is more important for retail financial services than for many other industries.

Internet banking is changing the banking industry and is having the major effects on banking relationships. Banking is now no longer confined to the branches were one has to approach the branch in person, to withdraw cash or deposit a cheque or request a statement of accounts. In true Internet banking, any inquiry or transaction is processed online without any reference to the branch (anywhere banking) at any time. Providing Internet banking is increasingly becoming a "need to have" than a "nice to have" service. The net banking, thus, now is more of a norm rather than an exception in many developed countries due to the fact that it is the cheapest way of providing banking services.

Online banking (or Internet banking) allows customers to conduct financial transactions on a secure website operated by their retail or virtual bank, credit union or building society.

2.2 Features

Online banking solutions have many features and capabilities in common, but traditionally also have some that are application specific.

18

Page 19: Internet banking project

The common features fall broadly into several categories Transactional (e.g., performing a financial transaction such as an

account to account transfer, paying a bill, wire transfer... and applications... apply for a loan, new account, etc.)

o Electronic bill presentment and payment - EBPP o Funds transfer between a customer's own checking and savings

accounts, or to another customer's account o Investment purchase or sale o Loan applications and transactions, such as repayments

Non-transactional (e.g., online statements, check links, co browsing, chat)

o Bank statements Financial Institution Administration - Support of multiple users having varying levels of authority Transaction approval process Wire transfer

A feature commonly unique to Internet banking is Personal financial management support, such as importing data into personal accounting software. Some online banking platforms support account aggregation to allow the customers to monitor all of their accounts in one place whether they are with their main bank or with other institutions.

2.3 Role and Significance

Internet banking has transformed the financial industry. Banking customers can perform most transactions by themselves on their own computer at hours that work for them. No longer do customers have to wait in lines at the bank or rush to get to their bank before it closes. They can withdraw cash, perform transfers and make payments with the click of a mouse.

Internet banking is convenient for those who are working from home, have limited time or want to keep track of their finances 24 hours a day. Internet banking allows account holders to transfer funds, pay bills, keep a more accurate balance ledger, and report fraudulent transactions and more.

19

Page 20: Internet banking project

Anyone who has a laptop or desktop computer with Internet access may do their banking from anywhere in the world.

There is a potential for identity theft or fraud when consumers use Internet banking. Financial institutions have software programs in place to deter criminal activity. Account holders can protect themselves by using a firewall on their own computers. Financial institutions prefer online banking because it reduces manpower, attracts consumers and makes financial reporting easier. Consumers can enjoy the benefits of banking at a time and place of their choosing. Internet banking is a fact of life for many individuals today with a busy lifestyle. Some individuals will have a brick and mortar bank that offers Internet banking in addition to going to the brick and mortar location. Other banks exist only on the Internet that does not have a physical location.

Computers were originally destined for a minor role in banks, primarily intended to facilitate accounting transactions. Subsequently, once its superiority was firmly established, it grew in status as a tool for management information and a host of other inventions. Although the accounting aspect is still quite important and relevant, IT has a far greater role to play to day to day banking operations, especially in decision making process. Further, facilities like ATM, Anywhere Banking, Internet as well as Mobile Banking have been increasing their presence. It has, to be conceded that ‘Information Technology’ is not the end in itself, but is useful tool in the hands of the management to leverage business prospects in its favour and enhance efficiency.

Banks now have come under great pressure to reduce operational costs to safeguard their bottom lines. With banking tuning more and more customer-centric with every passing day, technology as an enabler has helped banks to launch a whole array of customer-centric products such as ATMs, Debit Cards, 24 hour Anywhere Banking. Customer Relations Management is now a very potential concept. Internet Banking also has a role to play in ensuring a fair return to shareholders, by facilitating in ensuring greater profits to the banking sector. The recent emerging trends in self-service channels, namely ATM,s, Call-centers, Internet and Mobile Banking would increase the use of E-banking as this offer the twin benefit i.e. convenience to the customers and reduction and cost of operation to the banks. The popularity of internet banking likely depends upon inculcating in customers about their security and personal privacy of their money and assets.

20

Page 21: Internet banking project

3. Internet Banking in India

3.1 The Indian Scenario

The Internet banking is changing the banking industry and is having the major effects on banking relationships. Internet banking involves use of Internet for delivery of banking products & services. It falls into four main categories, from Level 1 - minimum functionality sites that offer only access to deposit account data - to Level 4 sites - highly sophisticated offerings enabling integrated sales of additional products and access to other financial services- such as investment and insurance. In other words a successful Internet banking solution offers

21

Page 22: Internet banking project

· Exceptional rates on Savings, CDs, and IRAs· Checking with no monthly fee, free bill payment and rebates on ATM surcharges· Credit cards with low rates· Easy online applications for all accounts, including personal loans and mortgages· 24 hour account access· Quality customer service with personal attention

Internet banking, both as a medium of delivery of banking services and as a strategic tool for business development. At present, the total internet users in the country are estimated at 9 lakh. However, this is expected to grow exponentially to 90 lakh by 2003. Only about 1 percent of Internet users did banking online in 1998. This is increased to 16.7 percent in March 2000.- (India Research, May 29, 2000, Kotak Securities)

Cost of banking service through the Internet from a fraction of costs through conventional methods. Rough estimates assume teller cost at Re.1 per transaction, ATM transaction cost at 45 paisa, phone banking at 35 paisa, debit cards at 20 paisa and Internet banking at 10 paisa per transaction. The banking industry in India is facing unprecedented competition from non-traditional banking institutions, which now offer banking and financial services over the Internet. The deregulation of the banking industry coupled with the emergence of new technologies, are enabling new competitors to enter the financial services market quickly and efficiently.

Indian banks are going for the retail banking in a big way. However, much is still to be achieved. This study which was conducted by students of IIML shows some interesting facts:

· Throughout the country, the Internet Banking is in the nascent stage of development (only 50 banks are offering varied kind of Internet banking services).· In general, these Internet sites offer only the most basic services. 55% are so called 'entry level' sites, offering little more than company information and basic marketing materials. Only 8% offer 'advanced transactions' such as online funds transfer, transactions & cash management services.

22

Page 23: Internet banking project

· Foreign & Private Banks are much advanced in terms of the number of sites & their level of development.

3.2 Products and Services offered

Meet customer demands for both convenience and financial independence. Every online transaction drives more traffic to your website. By integrating the website and online services, customers will see important news and promotions they may have otherwise missed. Internet Banking solutions include:

3.2.1 Internet BankingShow customers you are there for them anytime, anyplace. Make it easy to give customers 24/7 access to their accounts and other valued information.

3.2.2 Bill PaymentGive customers convenient, safe, and reliable, access to pay their bills online – 24/7. Bill Payment can be integrated with Internet Banking platform, providing a seamless single-sign-on user experience, or it can be offered independent of any Internet banking product or data host. Choose to offer customers good funds or risk-based settlement from a variety of third-party disbursement partners.

3.2.3 Business BankingProvide a wide range of online tools specifically designed for your customers’ small business needs. Solutions include a variety of cash management capabilities such as Business Bill Pay, ACH Origination and Account to Account transfers and more. We deliver a complete solution with exceptional reliability and high-level security to increase operational efficiencies for business customers.

3.2.4 LendingOffer customers the ability to apply for loans online. Make immediate loan decisions and give an on-the-spot response. Our interactive loan decisions are based on financial institution’s own decision criteria and the applicant’s real-time credit bureau data at all major credit bureaus.

23

Page 24: Internet banking project

3.2.5 ImagingProvide customers fast, easy and secure electronic access to their check images and statements when it is convenient for them from home or office.

3.2.6 Account AlertsGive the financial institution the opportunity to notify customers with real-time email account alerts. Customers define real-time, “tell me when” alerts that notify them when a check clears an account; an account balance threshold is met; and/or a specified transaction activity occurs. This solution is the perfect add-on to Internet Banking solution, enabling a financial institution to truly leverage 24/7 online banking channel.

3.2.7 Account to Account TransfersBecome the online hub for all your customers’ financial relationships. With an Account to Account (A2A) Transfer solution, one can offer account holders the ability to move money between any institution and accounts at other financial institution. The result is that customers leverage the online banking solution as the central, trusted service for managing all their financial relationships.

3.2.8 Account Opening & FundingProvide an automated online account opening and funding process for new accounts. Automating real-time account opening and funding allows you to lower account opening costs by minimizing costly manual processes and making products and services available to consumers 24/7. The net result to a financial institution is the reduction of weeks of processing time down to minutes!

3.2.9 Marketing Campaign Manager Create, control, and track targeted marketing campaigns within your Internet Banking site. Display marketing ads and text messages that are tightly integrated into your existing website design and/or Internet Banking. Create them with easy-to-use administrative tools, control them with intelligent targeting rule sets, and track the results with up-to-the-minute reporting tools.

3.2.10 Secure Messaging Communicate securely with your customers without fear of interception by hackers or third-party e-mail services. Customers can send a secure SSL -encrypted message that can be stored and answered in your Internet Banking

24

Page 25: Internet banking project

administrative site, enabling customers to send a financial institution questions and other communications containing sensitive data, such as account numbers and balances

3.3 Future Scenario

There is no doubt that potential for net banking in India is immense considering the rising penetration levels of the World Wide Web in Indian homes and offices. When one takes a look at what is available worldwide, one sees that net banking is more of a norm rather than an exception in many developed countries. The services offered enables one to check credit card transactions, paying bills, transferring funds between accounts in two different banks and scheduling future payments and transfers. The gradual increase in net banking is logical as the need to minimize costs catches attention. A North American Internet Banking Survey done by management consultancy Booz Allen & Hamilton in 1996 revealed that the cheapest way of banking is Internet banking. The survey estimated that a brick and mortar network of a bank would cost US$1.07 per transaction while it is only US$0.01 for internet banking. The same survey said that by 2000, 16 million US households would be banking through the net.

In India, however, there may arise problems with nationalized banks, which have in the past opposed computerization. However, the fact remains that given a choice, customers would like to bank via the net and the next decade could well see virtual banking becoming a reality.

Compared to banks abroad, India banks offering online services still have a long way to go. For online banking to reach a critical mass, there has to be sufficient number of users and the sufficient infrastructure in place.

Various security options like Line Encryption, Branch Connection Encryption, Firewalls, Digital Certificates, Automatic Sign-offs, Random Pop-ups and Disaster Recovery Sites are in place or are being looked at; there is as yet no Certification Authority in India offering Public Key Infrastructure, which is absolutely necessary for online banking.

The communication bandwidth available today in India is also not enough to meet the needs of high priority services like online banking and trading.

25

Page 26: Internet banking project

Banks offering online facilities also need to calculate their downtime losses, because even a few minutes of downtime in a week could mean substantial losses. Users of Internet Banking Services are required to fill up the application forms online and send a copy of the same by mail or fax to the bank.

A contractual agreement is entered into by the customer with the bank for using the Internet banking services. Domestic customers, for whom other access points such as ATMs, Telebanking, Personal Contact, etc. are available, are often hesitant to use the Internet banking services offered by Indian banks. Internet Banking, as an additional delivery channel, may, therefore, be attractive/ appealing as a value added service to domestic customers. Non-resident Indians, for whom, it is expensive and time consuming to access their bank accounts maintained in India find net banking very convenient and useful.

Cyber crimes are, therefore, difficult to be identified and controlled. In order to promote Internet banking services, it is necessary that proper legal infrastructure is in place. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is moving fast to make available additional bandwidth, with the result that internet access will become much faster in the future.

Reserve Bank of India has constituted a group to examine different issues relating to I-banking and recommend technology, security legal standards and operational standards keeping in view the international best practices. In the following paragraphs a generic set of risks discussed as the basis for formulating general risk control guidelines.

A healthy banking system is essential for any economy striving to achieve good growth and yet remain stable in an increasingly global business environment. The Indian banking system has witnessed a series of reforms in the past, like deregulation of interest rates, dilution of government stake in PSBs, and increased participation of private sector banks. It has also undergone rapid changes, reflecting a number of underlying developments. This trend has created new competitive threats as well as new opportunities. This paper aims to foresee major future banking trends, based on these past and current movements in the market.

Given the competitive market, banking will (and to a great extent already has) become a process of choice and convenience. The future of banking

26

Page 27: Internet banking project

would be in terms of integration. This is already becoming a reality with new-age banks such as YES Bank, and others too adopting a single-PIN. Geography will no longer be an inhibitor. Technology will prove to be the differentiator in the short-term but the dynamic environment will soon lead to its saturation and what will ultimately be the key to success will be a better relationship management.

4. Risks Involved in Internet Banking

Internet banking does not open up new risk categories, but rather accentuates the risks that any financial institution faces. The board and senior management must be cognizant of these risks and deal with them appropriately. These risks, which often overlap, are briefly described below:

4.1 Strategic risk

This is the current and prospective risk to earnings and capital arising from adverse business decisions or improper implementation of business

27

Page 28: Internet banking project

decisions. Many senior managers do not fully understand the strategic and technical aspects of Internet banking. Spurred by competitive and peer pressures, banks may seek to introduce or expand Internet banking without an adequate cost-benefit analysis. The organization structure and resources may not have the skills to manage Internet banking.

4.2 Transaction risk

This is the current and prospective risk to earnings and capital arising from fraud, error, negligence and the inability to maintain expected service levels. A high level of transaction risk may exist with Internet banking products, because of the need to have sophisticated internal controls and constant availability. Most Internet banking platforms are based on new platforms which use complex interfaces to link with legacy systems, thereby increasing risk of transaction errors. There is also a need to ensure data integrity and no repudiation of transactions. Third-party providers also increase transaction risks, since the organization does not have full control over a third party. Without seamless process and system connections between the bank and the third party, there is a higher risk of transaction errors.

4.3 Compliance risk

This is the risk to earnings or capital arising from violations of, or non-conformance with, laws, regulations and ethical standards. Compliance risk may lead to diminished reputation, actual monetary losses and reduced business opportunities. Banks need to carefully understand and interpret existing laws as they apply to Internet banking and ensure consistency with other channels such as branch banking. This risk is amplified when the customer, the bank and the transaction are in more than one country. Conflicting laws, tax procedures and reporting requirements across different jurisdictions add to the risk. The need to keep customer data private and seek customers' consent before sharing the data also adds to compliance risk. Customers are very concerned about the privacy of their data and banks need to be seen as reliable guardians of such data. Finally, the need to consummate transactions immediately (straight-through processing) may lead to banks relaxing traditional controls, which aim to reduce compliance risk.

4.4 Reputation risk

28

Page 29: Internet banking project

This is the current and prospective risk to earnings and capital arising from negative public opinion. A bank's reputation can be damaged by Internet banking services that are poorly executed (e.g., limited availability, buggy software, poor response). Customers are less forgiving of any problems and thus there are more stringent performance expectations from the Internet channel. Hypertext links could link a bank's site to other sites and may reflect an implicit endorsement of the other sites.

4.5 Information security risk

This is the risk to earnings and capital arising out of lax information security processes, thus exposing the institution to malicious hacker or insider attacks, viruses, denial-of-service attacks, data theft, data destruction and fraud. The speed of change of technology and the fact that the Internet channel is accessible universally makes this risk especially critical.

Security Risk arises on account of unauthorized access to a bank’s critical information stores like accounting system, risk management system, portfolio management system, etc. Other related risks are loss of reputation, infringing customers’ privacy and its legal implications, etc. Attackers could be hackers, unscrupulous vendors, disgruntled employee or even pure thrill seekers.

In addition to external attacks banks are exposed to security risk from internal sources e.g. employee fraud. Employee being familiar with different systems and their weaknesses become potential security threats in a loosely controlled environment. They can manage to acquire the authentication data in order to access the customer accounts causing losses to the bank. Unless specifically protected, all data/ information transfer over the internet can be monitored or read by unauthorized persons.

4.6 Credit risk

This is the risk to earnings or capital from a customer's failure to meet his financial obligations. Internet banking enables customers to apply for credit from anywhere in the world. Banks will find it extremely difficult to verify the identity of the customer, if they intend to offer instant credit through the Internet. Verifying collateral and perfecting security agreements are also difficult. Finally, there could be questions of which country's (or state's) jurisdiction applies to the transaction.

29

Page 30: Internet banking project

4.7 Interest rate risk

This is the risk to earnings or capital arising from movements in interest rates (e.g., interest rate differentials between assets and liabilities and how these are impacted by interest rate changes). Internet banking can attract loans and deposits from a larger pool of customers. Also, given that it is easy to compare rates across banks, pressure on interest rates is higher, accentuating the need to react quickly to changing interest rates in the market.

4.8 Liquidity risk

This is the risk to earnings or capital arising from a bank's inability to meet its obligations. Internet banking can increase deposit and asset volatility, especially from customers who maintain accounts solely because they are getting a better rate. These customers tend to pull out of the relationship if they get a slightly better rate elsewhere.

4.9 Price risk

This is the risk to earnings or capital arising from changes in the value of traded portfolios or financial instruments. Banks may be exposed to price risk, if they create or expand deposit brokering, loan sales or securitization programs as a result of Internet banking activities.

4.10 Foreign exchange risk

This arises when assets in one currency are funded by liabilities in another. Internet banking may encourage residents of other countries to transact in their domestic currencies. Due to the ease and lower cost of transacting, it may also lead customers to take speculative positions in various currencies. Higher holdings and transactions in no domestic currencies increase foreign exchange risk.

4.11 Cross Border Risk

Internet banking is based on technology that, by its very nature, is designed to extend the geographic reach of banks and customers. Such market expansion can extend beyond national borders. This causes various risks.

30

Page 31: Internet banking project

Such considerations may expose banks to legal risks associated with non-compliance of different national laws and regulations, including consumer protection laws, record keeping and reporting requirements, privacy rules and money laundering laws.

The foreign-based service provider or foreign participants in internet banking are sources of country risk to the extent that foreign parties become unable to fulfill their obligations due to economic, social or political factors.

4.12 Operational Risk

‘Operational Risk’, also referred to as ‘Transactional Risk’ is the most common form of risk associated with I-banking.

It takes them from of inaccurate processing of transactions, non-enforceability of contracts, compromises in data integrity, data privacy and confidentiality, unauthorized access / intrusion to bank’s systems and transaction, etc.

Such risks can arise out of weaknesses in design, implementation and monitoring of banks information system.

Besides inadequacies in technology, human factors like negligence by customers and employees, fraudulent activity of employees and crackers/ hackers, etc. can become potential source of operational risk.

4.13 System Architecture & Design

Banks face the risk of wrong choice of technology, improper system design and inadequate control processes. Numerous protocols are used for communication across internet. Each protocol is designed for specific types of data transfer.

A system allowing communications with all protocols, say HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), Telnet, etc. is more prone to attack than one designed to permit say, only HTTP. Security related operational risk include access control, use of firewalls, cryptographic techniques, public key encryption, digital signature, etc.

31

Page 32: Internet banking project

4.14 Risk of Unfair Completion

Internet banking is going to intensify the competition among various banks. The open nature of internet may induce a few banks to use unfair practices to take advantage over rivals. Any leaks at network connection or operating system, etc. may allow them to interfere in a rival bank’s system.

Thus, one can find that along with the benefits internet banking carries various risks for bank itself as well as banking system as a whole.

5. Pros and Cons of Internet Banking

Many people are turning to online banking to meet their banking needs. Online banking is less expensive for the banks because of the lack of paper and postage involved, so they encourage their customers to transition to online banking. Many customers continue to resist this push, feeling uncomfortable with handling their banking needs over a computer. Online

32

Page 33: Internet banking project

banking comes with both advantages and disadvantages, which are outlined below.

5.1 Pros of Internet Banking

24/7 availability of banking services and flexibility are the acknowledged advantages of online banking. Better interest rates on CDs and savings accounts that are opened online, wider array of financial products and services for customers are other attractive features of online banking. The advantages of Internet banking are obvious. Business people can access their personal and business account information while saving a trip to the bank. You can check your balance whenever you need to, even if the bank is closed. Not only that, but you can pay your bills online as well, which saves both time and money on postage.

Another advantage of Internet banking is the ability to easily compare services offered by different banks. You can buy financial products and apply for loans online, and in doing so, you can compare your options to ensure that you get the best possible services. You can even buy insurance online through Internet banking services. Stocks and bonds and other investments can be managed with online banking from your home or office independent of a financial intermediary like a stockbroker.

5.1.1 Convenience

Internet banking's major benefit to account holders is convenience. It allows an account holder to monitor usage of his account and perform basic transactions online for his banking account. From the privacy of your home, you can transfer funds, check your bank balance and pay your bills at any time of the day or night.

5.1.2 Bonuses

There are some Internet banking companies such as ING Direct that will allow a customer to receive a monetary bonus for opening an account with them. The bonus varies based on the promotion the Internet banking company is running at the time.

33

Page 34: Internet banking project

5.1.3 Expediency

Online banking is frequently faster than "snail mail." Many payments can be made in 24 hours, which the U.S. Postal Service cannot match.

5.1.4 Scheduling Payments

You can schedule a transaction today but delay the processing until a later date. This enables you to pay your bills in once without the money immediately leaving your account.

5.1.5 Learning Curve

Many people feel uncomfortable with trying something new, and they feel nervous about working through a learning curve when their money is involved.

5.1.6 Paperless

Online banking is paperless. Paperless banking is environmentally friendly, but many people feel more comfortable having a paper trail when they pay their bills.

5.2 Cons of Internet Banking

Internet banking or electronic banking allows customers to access their accounts at any time from any computer or smart phone. This banking style has a lot of advantages, including 24-hour account monitoring, the ability to bank from anywhere and fast transactions. However, this system has some distinct disadvantages, too.

34

Page 35: Internet banking project

5.2.1 Limited Access

If an individual opens an account at an online-only bank such as ING Direct, access is limited to their account. If the bank account owner can not find a location with Internet access, she will be unable to perform transactions on her banking account.

5.2.2 Difficulty in Resolving Disputes

When using an Internet banking account, the account owner may have no face to face interaction with a bank employee if the bank does not have a brick and mortar location. This can make resolving disputes more difficult as the account holder will have to make a phone call and possibly wait on hold, or be forced to send an email.

5.2.3 Security Concerns

Conducting your banking over the Internet can be you at a significant risk of scams and fraud. Make sure when using your internet banking account you are accessing it through a secured network, and never provide your account password to anyone. With hacking and identity theft on the rise, Internet banking customers have to place a certain amount of trust in the bank that their account information and personal information are safe. Many people worry about hackers accessing their bank accounts. Also, family or friends could steal your password and access your account information.

5.2.4 Identity Confirmation

Federal regulations require that financial institutions confirm each customer's identity. This may present a logistical issue, as copying and faxing documents is sometimes necessary.

5.2.5 Customer Service

If you bank at a traditional bank, you can go to the bank and speak to someone face to face about your problem but, with an Internet bank, you will likely spend a lot of time on the phone being passed around and placed on hold.

5.2.6 Accessibility

35

Page 36: Internet banking project

If the Internet goes down in your area or the area of the banking office, you will be unable to access your accounts. This includes being unable to withdraw money from ATMs or to use your debit card.

5.2.7 Fees

Many Internet banks don't have ATMs, which means you will have to pay ATM fees. This can cost you more money than paying the regular monthly fees at a brick and mortar bank.

5.2.8 Other Threats

Despite robust security practices and secure transaction technologies that all top-line banks offer on their Websites and personal PC protection programs used by consumers themselves, the threat of identity theft is constant and real. Other threats to online banking include hacking of banking accounts, worms, spy ware attacks, and phishing.

6. Internet Banking: Challenges for Banks and Regulators

6.1 Internet Banking in the United States

36

Page 37: Internet banking project

An average industry estimates indicates that about 13 million US households banked online by the end of 2000 – twice as many as in the previous years.

At the beginning of 2001, 37% of all US national banks, including nearly all of the largest national banks, were offering full transactional capabilities online – a near twofold increase in little over a year.

Banks offering Internet-based transaction service – and there are more of them each day – should be well positioned to compete in the financial markets of the future.

New Risks:

Internet banking poses risks that are different from those that bank supervisors customarily dealt with in assessing credit, market, or interest rate risk.

First, banks must manage the unprecedented speed of technological change, and assess how it relates to their technology investments and their ability to provide consistently high-quality customer service.

Second, bank is increasingly dependent on third parties to provide the necessary Information Technology.

Security is another area of significant risk. So far, relatively few financial institutions have reported being victimized by online security violations.

6.2 Basel Committee’s Electronic Banking Group

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has taken the lead in this area through the creation of its Electronic Banking Group (EBG) in late 1999 – a group whose members represent 17 Central Banks and Bank Supervisory Agencies.

37

Page 38: Internet banking project

The Electronic Banking Group's (EBG) work plan reflects the consensus view that bank supervisors should collaborate actively to determine and share sound supervisory guidance and principles regarding e-banking activities. Such efforts would provide the foundation for a harmonized approach to the supervision of e-banking within the global bank supervisory community. This would also, in turn, help to reduce impediments to the development of an efficient market for the electronic delivery of banking services. Given that e-banking is still in its early stages, the EBG does not believe it appropriate to provide prescriptive advice or normative standards that would potentially restrict technological innovation.

The major focus of the EBG’s work has been to develop risk management guidance for Internet banking that will guide bankers and promote effective and consistent bank supervision around the world.

The EBG has identified fourteen Risk Management Principles for Electronic Banking to promote sound risk management of e-banking. These principles are intended to help banking institutions expand their existing oversight policies and processes to cover their e-banking activities.

Recognizing that the rapid development of e-banking capabilities carries risks as well as benefits, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has issued two Papers on electronic banking: one dealing with risk management principles and the other with risk management responsibilities with respect to cross-border e-banking.

The reports identify some of the fundamental characteristics and challenges of e-banking services as:

-The unprecedented speed of change related to technological and customer service innovation

-The ubiquitous and global nature of open electronic network

-The integration of e-banking applications with legacy computer systems and

-The increasing dependence of banks on third parties that provide the necessary information technology.

38

Page 39: Internet banking project

While not creating inherently new risks, these characteristics increase and modify some of the traditional risks associated with banking activities; in particular strategic, operational, legal and reputational risks, thereby influencing the overall risk profile of banking.

The Committee believes it is incumbent upon the Boards of Directors and banks' senior management to take steps to ensure that their institutions have reviewed and modified where necessary their existing risk management policies and processes to cover their current or planned e-banking activities. The Committee also believes that the integration of e-banking applications with legacy systems implies an integrated risk management approach for all banking activities of a banking institution.

To facilitate these developments, the Committee has identified fourteen "Risk Management Principles for Electronic Banking" to help banking institutions expand their existing risk oversight policies and processes to cover their e-banking activities.

The Electronic Banking Group (EBG) of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision released the Paper on "Management and Supervision of Cross Border Electronic Banking Activities", reportedly to express supervisory expectations and guidance as to banks carrying out cross-border electronic banking activities, as well as to their home and host supervisors. It focuses on refinements to the risk management principles concerning the responsibility of banks to conduct appropriate due diligence and risk assessment, provide adequate disclosures, and establish an adequate ongoing risk management oversight process prior to engaging in cross-border e-banking.

The second objective of this Paper is to focus attention on the need for effective home country supervision of cross-border e-banking activities as well as continued international cooperation between banking supervisors regarding such activities. "This is essential to promote safe and sound cross-border e-banking without creating undue regulatory burden or impediments to banks' use of the Internet delivery channel to meet customer needs,” said the Executive Summary.

The Basel Committee was established by the Central Bank Governors of the Group of Ten (G-10) countries. The Committee does not possess any formal

39

Page 40: Internet banking project

supranational supervisory authority; rather, it formulates broad supervisory standards and guidelines and recommends statements of best practice in the expectation that individual authorities will take steps to implement them through detailed arrangements - statutory or otherwise - which are best suited to their own national systems. In this way, the Committee encourages convergence towards common approaches and common standards without attempting detailed harmonization of member countries' supervisory techniques.

Over the past few years, the Committee has moved more aggressively to promote sound supervisory standards worldwide. In close collaboration with many non-G-10 supervisory authorities, the Committee has developed a set of "Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision" and the "Core Principles Methodology".

6.3 E-Finance Oversight

The EBG has dedicated considerable time and effort to communicating supervisory expectations and guidance for home country supervisors to oversee cross-border Internet banking activity conducted by their local institutions.

In February of this year, the Financial Stability Forum’s Contact Group on E-Finance held its first formal meeting. This group was formed to promote enhanced information-sharing among the various international sector-based working groups dealing with e-finance supervisory issues – e-banking, e-trading, retail payments systems, e-commerce, and so on.

6.4 Security Controls

While the Board of Directors has the responsibility for ensuring that appropriate security control processes are in place for e-banking, the substance of these processes needs special management attention because of the enhanced security challenges posed by e-banking. This should include

40

Page 41: Internet banking project

establishing appropriate authorization privileges and authentication measures, logical and physical access controls, adequate infrastructure security to maintain appropriate boundaries and restrictions on both internal and external user activities and data integrity of transactions, records and information. In addition, the existence of clear audit trails for all e-banking transactions should be ensured and measures to preserve confidentiality of key e-banking information should be appropriate with the sensitivity of such information.

Although customer protection and privacy regulations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, banks generally have a clear responsibility to provide their customers with a level of comfort regarding information disclosures, protection of customer data and business availability that approaches the level they can expect when using traditional banking distribution channels. To minimize legal and reputational risk associated with e-banking activities conducted both domestically and cross-border, banks should make adequate disclosure of information on their web sites and take appropriate measures to ensure adherence to customer privacy requirements applicable in the jurisdictions to which the bank is providing e-banking services.

Security controls need special attention because of the open nature of the Internet and the pace of technological change. Specific focus areas include:

6.4.1 Authentication

This means ensuring customers are verified and their identities established before conducting business over the Internet. Passwords, biometric methods, challenge-response systems, public key infrastructure are some of the ways of strengthening authentication. There is a growing trend towards single-sign-on applications, where the customer needs only a single ID to access his entire relationship. These increase the risk of compromise.

6.4.2 Non repudiation

Banks should make certain that customers who transact on the Internet cannot later deny having originated the transactions. Using techniques like

41

Page 42: Internet banking project

PKI (digital certificates), strong non repudiation can be achieved. However, legal enforceability in many countries is still suspect.

6.4.3 Segregation of duties

As in any traditional process, segregation of duties is vital to prevent perpetration of fraud by any one individual.

Banks should ensure that there are appropriate measures to protect the data integrity of e-banking transactions, records and information. All e-banking transactions should generate clear audit trails, which should be archived. It is also vital to generate and protect records of customer instructions in a legally acceptable format.

Banks should strengthen information security controls to preserve the confidentiality and integrity of customer data. Firewalls, ethical hacking tests, physical and logical access controls are some of the methods available.

6.5 Legal and Reputational Risk Management

To protect banks against business, legal and reputation risk, e-banking services must be delivered on a consistent and timely basis in accordance with high customer expectations for constant and rapid availability and potentially high transaction demand. The bank must have the ability to deliver e-banking services to all end-users and be able to maintain such availability in all circumstances. Effective incident response mechanisms are also critical to minimize operational, legal and reputational risks arising from unexpected events, including internal and external attacks, that may affect the provision of e-banking systems and services. To meet customers' expectations, banks should therefore have effective capacity, business continuity and contingency planning. Banks should also develop appropriate incident response plans, including communication strategies that ensure business continuity, control reputation risk and limit liability associated with disruptions in their e-banking services.

Legal and reputational risk management can be broken down into the following:

42

Page 43: Internet banking project

6.5.1 Privacy

Banks should articulate a privacy policy and should communicate this to customers. Customers must be allowed opt-out options, and great care must be exercised before sharing customer information with outside entities. If customers are from a different jurisdiction, then the strongest privacy law may apply.

6.5.2 Availability

Banks should have business continuity and contingency planning processes to help ensure continuous availability of Internet banking services. This is challenging because of the potential for high transaction volume and the demand for 24-hour, seven-day-a-week availability.

6.5.3 Incident response

Banks should formulate appropriate incident response plans to detect, manage, contain and minimize problems arising from internal and external attacks. There should be clear escalation paths, a communication strategy for customers and the press and a documented chain of command. Finally, there should be a process for collecting and preserving forensic evidence after an adverse event.

The risks arising from Internet banking are not restricted to information security areas, but span across all the traditional banking areas. Risk management for Internet banking should be directed by senior management and incorporated within existing risk management disciplines in the organization. Control procedures need to keep pace with rapid changes in technology.

7. Impact of E-Transactions

43

Page 44: Internet banking project

It's hardly great news that there has been tremendous growth in the use of the Internet and other   electronic   facilities   to process financial transactions. According    to    the    Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., transactional Web sites have more than doubled each year for the past six years, growing from one in 1995 to nearly 2,500 in 2000.

This growth is a reflection of the fact that over the past few years, financial leaders have been considering various ways in which to allow their customers to transact business using the Internet. This objective is now reaching beyond the financial services industry into non-electronic business segments, such as the building supply industry. Furthermore, this growth is likely to continue to climb as the number of Internet users, Internet connection speed, and the number of transactional Web sites continues to increase. The number of adults using PC banking is also growing. With this growth, there is an increased awareness of the benefits of using online transaction processing, thereby fueling the thought that all business should be electronically facilitated.

Gartner predicts that worldwide business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce will total $3.6 trillion by 2003 and $8.5 trillion in 2005. Online financial activity had a slower start, but has had steady growth, from 6 million users in 1998 to 27.5 million users in 2000. During 2000, only 30 percent of the Internet-capable households were using some form of Internet banking, indicating that there is tremendous room for increased use. 

7.1 The e-Commerce Value Chain

Consider that the consumer and the merchant are on either ends of the electronic commerce value chain, with the authentication network and trans-action processor (bank) in the middle. Banks have traditionally been the trusted agents, have the largest customer base, and have received the initial benefits from electronic commerce. Value has begun a steady migration to the ends of the value chain. Customers can receive and pay bills from one point using products from multiple issuers. Merchants can influence and enhance the consumer experience by providing innovative and time-saving means of doing business. Merchants can add value to the payment process, for example, by offering discounted prices for electronic payment.

44

Page 45: Internet banking project

Merchants can also reduce their costs by receiving electronic payments, which results in reducing and sometimes eliminating the need for data entry, as well as reducing the error rate and the time to investigate and correct the data. By increasing and effectively managing cash flow, merchants may also be able to reduce costs associated with lines of credit.

7.2 Trends in the Use of Electronic Transactions

Financial institutions are developing new means of processing their current transaction base. Two traditional areas of service have been check processing and lockbox services. These areas are also undergoing transformation to electronic processing functionality.

7.2.1 Cheques Truncation

Almost every individual and business has used, and possibly still uses, checks to initiate payment for goods or services. A trend currently in devel-opment is called check truncation. In this payment processing method, a payment starts as a check and ends up as an electronic payment transaction 7.2.2 Lockbox Truncation

Many businesses contract with banks and other financial institutions to provide lockbox services. These services provide a central collection point and faster processing for payments

7.2.3 Certificates

Financial institutions may wish to provide some increased level of assurance that the information contained on their Web sites is protected from unauthorized use or loss due to unforeseen circumstances. An independent review of management's assertions related to these areas may provide customers with that desired level of assurance. Many organizations are obtaining these reviews from certified public accountants and other consulting organizations. The resulting certification is often evidenced by a seal that is placed on the financial institution or merchant Web site which, when accessed, indicates the assertions made, the process followed for the

45

Page 46: Internet banking project

certification, and qualification information about the certification issuing firm.

7.3 E-Transaction Authentication Issues

Transaction authentication has been a topic of discussion since early in the evolution of e-commerce. Use of digital signatures is becoming widely accepted and has attracted the attention of legislators.

7.4 Digital Signatures

On October 1, 2000, the Electronic Signatures in National and Global Commerce Act was signed. This act states that an agreement, contract, or transaction signed electronically is enforceable in a court of law. Accordingly, financial services institutions can now legally transact business using electronic signatures, allowing transactions such as mortgages, funds transfers, opening and closing of accounts, benefits enrollment, and beneficiary designations to occur in an electronic environment.The law defines an electronic signature as "an electronic sound, symbol, or process attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record." Fortunately, the legislation does not attempt to define acceptable technologies except to indicate that the technologies must be mutually acceptable to the transacting parties. Since a valid signature can be as simple as a digital image of a signature (enabled through an electronic pen and pad) or as complex as today's public key infrastructure (PKI) and associated encryption methods, the technology decision maker must define relevant business objectives and understand the risks, such as cost and unauthorized use associated with alternative implementations.

There are possible additional benefits to the implementing organization. These include reduced transaction timelines, reduction in paper processing costs, facilitation of customer migration to the Internet as a business channel, and increased online transaction security.

When compared to physical signatures, e-signature technologies are, in general, a more secure authentication method. Many financial institutions are studying the possible implementation of a public key infrastructure (PKI) system that will allow them to exchange electronic information securely with unknown parties.

46

Page 47: Internet banking project

PKI is the delivery channel for public key cryptography, a method that allows the parties to a transaction to keep a communication private through the use of a two-part key made up of public and private components. To encrypt messages, the published public keys of the recipients are used. To decrypt the messages, the recipients use their unpublished private keys, known only to them. Quite simply, if the signer's private key is not compro-mised, which can happen by releasing the password or allowing access to the device containing the private key, a document cannot be digitally signed

8. What do computers do in banks?

47

Page 48: Internet banking project

The Different Uses of Information Technology:

8.1 Single Window System (SWS)

• The cashier or teller who accepts the cash, keys in the data from his terminal after receipt of the amount.

• The amount is straight away posted to the system.

• If the customer wishes to update passbook the same is also updated through the security form printer/pass book printer.

• If a customer wishes to obtain a draft, the clerk keys in the details of the account to be debited and the particulars of the drafts to be issued on the machine.

• The customer’s account is debited and security form printer prints out draft and clerk can hand over the same to customer duly signed.

8.2 Any Time Banking

• This refers to banking service available 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.

• Such facility is made available to the customer through the Automated Teller machine.

• Banking, being a service industry, is primarily driven by customers’ needs.

• Each customer is willing to pay a price for the services provided it is made available to him when he wants and where he wants.

• In the present day of server competition, banking services are driven by technology, which is more oriented towards providing better services to the customer.

• The concept of banking hours has been changed from the fixed 4 hours to 24 hours.

48

Page 49: Internet banking project

• This has been made possible through use of ATMs. Even under the manual service, the banks have stated to extend the service from the traditional 4 hours to 5 hours and even up to 12 hours say from 8 AM to 8 PM.

• Some banks have introduced the practice of Sunday Banking or Holiday Banking.

8.3 Automated Teller Machines (ATM)

• ATM is a machine in the nature of a computer in general sense, but is dedicated to do certain types of specific jobs only.

• The hardware and the proprietary i.e. the software used in one machine cannot be used in one machine.

8.4 Shared Payment Network System (SPNS)

• The SPNS, named SWADHAN, has been sponsored by the Indian Bank’s Association (IBA).

• It is a network of ATMs, points of sale terminals and Cash Dispensers with a view to pool the resources of the banks and underlines the spirit of competition through cooperation.

• It became operational in Mumbai on 1st February 1997 and in two years about 150 ATMs were owned and installed by 38 banks including foreign banks, public and private sector Indian commercial banks as also cooperative banks.

• The biggest advantage of the network is that the ATM cards issued by different banks can used at any member banks ATM.

• Banks can have as many ATM as they want and follow some standards set by the SPNS committee.

• The heart of the network is the Switch and its main components are: Tandem Mainframe Computer, BASE 24 Software, Motorola networking equipments and the leased lines.

49

Page 50: Internet banking project

8.5 Customer Service

The following customer services are offered through the system:

i) Cash withdrawal (up to a specified limit)ii) Cheque/Cash deposit (the receipt being only for the deposit of the envelope containing cash but not for the amount therein)iii) Enquiry about balancesiv) Printing of statement of accountsv) Request for cheque book and standing instructions.vi) Transfer of fundsvii) PIN change

8.6 Telebanking

• From the conventional banking, where the services were provided manually across the table, it has come to a stage where the customer is not required to visit the bank enquiry of balance in the account, sending a remittance, to get a statement of account, etc.

• The concept has become so popular that in USA customers do not visit the bank for 97% of their transactions and these are done from either customer’s residence or office using a telephone or a home PC.

• In telebanking the customer is required to open the account with the bank initially by visiting the bank.

• Telebanking services are, generally, provided by the bank over the telephone on a special number.

• The number at the bank is connected to a terminal in the bank, which is either handled manually or is automated by connecting the same to the computer network.

• Where the system is automated, two types of technology are used.

8.7 Home Banking

50

Page 51: Internet banking project

• Under home banking the customer is served at his residence and there is no need for the customer to visit the bank’s premises for a number of routine transactions.

• If the customer needs some information the same can be got by contacting the bank over the phone as described in the telebanking.

• If the customer wants to put through transaction and wishes to see his account or to get a statement of his account, he may have to use a PC.

• This type of facility is available with a town, city or metropolitan area.

• Under such a situation the customer should have a: -PC -Modem -Telephone line -A compatible software for the home PC

• The home banking service can be broadly classified under two groups, one without using the information technology and another using information technology.• When customer contacts the bank o the phone no specific technology is involved and the service of telebanking is provided to him.

8.8 Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT)

• In India the fund transfers are basically done through Mail Transfer, Draft or Telegraphic Transfer.

• In case of Telegraphic Transfer (TT) again the Department of Telecommunication was the sole provider of Telephone, Telex and Telegram facilities.

• With the process of liberalization private operators have started providing alternative voice communication channels through mobile phones and vast communication as an alternative channels for data communication.

• It was normal for any TT to be credited to the beneficiary’s account after delay of 2 to 4 days

51

Page 52: Internet banking project

• The different forms of EFT prevalent in the use are: -EFT through Electronic Data Interchange -BANKNET -RBINET -IDRBT VSAT Network -EFT from Point of Sales -Electronic Cash -SWIFT- Global System for Funds Transfer -Electronic Clearing Settlement

8.9 Plastic Cards as Media for Payment

There are four types of plastic cards being used as media for making payments. These are:

8.9.1 Credit Card

The credit card enables the cardholders to: -Purchase any item like clothes, jewellery, railway/air tickets, etc. -Pay bills for dining in a restaurant or boarding and lodging in a hotel -Avail of any service like car rental, etc.

8.9.2 Debit Card

A debit card is issued on payment of a specified amount by the issuing company like a telephone company to a customer on cash payment or on debiting his account by a bank.Thus it is like an electronic purse, which can be read and debited by the required amount.

It may be noted that while through a credit card, the customer first makes a purchase or avails service and pays later on, but for getting the debit card, a customer has to first pay the due amount and then make a purchase or avail the service. For this reason, debit card are not as popular as credit cards.

8.9.3 Smart Card

52

Page 53: Internet banking project

Smart Cards have a built-in microcomputer chip, which can be used for storing and processing information. For example, a person can have a smart card from a bank with the specified amount stored electronically on it. As he goes on making transactions with the help of the card, the balance keeps on reducing electronically. When the specified amount is utilized by the customer, he can approach the bank to get his card validated for a further specified amount. Such cards are used for paying small amounts like telephone calls, petrol bills, etc.

In India, a smart card, suiting Indian banking environment, is being developed and tested at IIT, Mumbai, in collaboration with the RBI and SBI. The card is being used as an experimental tool for promoting cashless society in and around the IIT Campus. The latest smart card being developed will combine all the features of electronic purses, credit cards and ATM cards.

8.9.4 ATM Card

The card contains a PIN (Personal Identification Number) which is selected by the customer or conveyed to the customer and enables him to withdraw cash up to the transaction limit for the day. He can also deposit cash or cheque.

8.10 Intra-Bank & Inter-Bank Applications

Computerization is now all pervasive in banks. Almost all the activities in a bank can be performed more efficiently with the help of computers. Broadly, we can divide the applications of computerization in banks in two types:

I. Intra-Bank Applications: -

i) Funds transfer and payment messageii) Banks owned ATM/Credit Card and other application on the corporate network iii) Inter-Branch Reconciliationiv) Quick disposal of loan/investment proposalv) Funds information from clearing centres to the fund management office for optimal allocation of funds.vi) Cash Management Product

53

Page 54: Internet banking project

vii) Treasury Managementviii) Any Branch Bankingix) Asset Liability Managementx) E-mail xi) Software distribution in the bankxii) Organizational bulletin boards may contain the following:a. Circularsb. Newsletters, phone and address directoriesc. Undesirable partiesd. Missing security itemse. Confidential circular on attempted frauds.xiii) Human Resources Development and Personnel Administrationxiv) Auditing and Inspecting computerized branches using the networkxv) Organizational database may include:a. Statutory returnsb. Control returnsc. Standardized returnsxvi) Management Information Systems:a. Borrower’s profile b. Branch profilec. Employee analysisd. Product/service profilee. Business profile of branches.xvii) Apart from providing efficient service to customers the financial network will also fulfill the following objectives: a. Timely information to top managementb. Helping in development of new productsc. Speedy communication among branches and with the controlling offices.

II. Inter-Bank Applications: -

i) Electronic Funds Transfer:a. Retail EFT (Small value credit transfer) on net settlement basis.b. Wholesale EFT (Large value credit transfer) on Real Time Gross

54

Page 55: Internet banking project

Settlement (RTGS) basis for time critical payments.ii) Clearing and settlement systems for securities – Delivery vs. Payment (DVP). The final delivery of securities will occur if and only if final payment occurs.

iii) Transferring balance from net settlement systems to RTGS Server at periodic intervals. The net obligation could be from:a. Local paper-based clearing b. Inter-city paper-based clearing (including IT discounting facilities)c. Bulk payments – ECS (Debit, Credit, RAPID) including intercity.d. Shared ATM networkse. Smart cards and other pre-paid/pre-authorized debit cardsiv) Exchange of defaulting borrowers list among RBI and banksv) EDI services to the extent they pertain to payment cycle to EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)vi) Consolidation of current account balance from the existing DAD (Deposit Accounts Department in RBI Offices) applications synchronously/asynchronously to facilitate balance enquiry by banks on all India/center-wise basis and if necessary to activate transfer of funds among DADs at different centers.vii) Reporting of government account transactionsviii) Reporting of BSR (Basic Statistical Returns) etc. to RBIix) Asset Liability Managementx) Intranet in RBI to enable banks to get circulars, press releases etc.xi) Returns to be submitted by the banks to Departments of Banking Supervision (DBS) for off-site supervision and monitoring.

9. Credit Card Frauds

9.1 Meaning

55

Page 56: Internet banking project

A credit card is a money transaction device without using cash or fiduciary documents.

9.2 Aware of Credit Card

The credit card, as already seen, is a money transaction device. The institutions issuing the credit card give the card holders authority to obtain money, goods, services or any other thing of value, on credit. They guarantee payment of debit so raised. These institutions are banks and other financial institutions, clubs and travel agencies and departmental stores, etc. Credit Cards, Bob Cards, Master Cards, Visa Cards, express Cards, Euro Cards have wide circulation. Some of them have wide circulation. Some of them have world-wide circulation.

9.3 Advantages of Credit Cards

Following types of safety measures are being introduced increasingly in the credit card manufacture. They can be adopted with advantages:

1. Simultaneous printing on both sides of the cards; creating some superimposed graphics, patterns, digits or writings.2. Multi-layered laminates incorporating lateen images which may distinguish the genuine from the forged.3. Intricate graphics and distinctive letter and digit designs.4. Laser printing to engrave the letter and digits on the credit card.5. Three dimensional insignia, logo of high artistic quality on the credit card.6. Encoded information track in magnetic inks on magnetic stripe.7. Cards inserted in the imprinter head, designed and manufactured to rigid specification to permit limited tolerance to admit only genuine credit cards.8. Secure Signature Panel.9. 3- Dimensional hologram.10. U.V. fluorescent images and designs.11. Micro printing12. Optically illusive figures, designs, etc.13. Heavy duty embossing logo.

9.4 Credit Card Frauds

Credit card frauds manifest themselves in a number of ways: 1. Genuine cards are manipulated.

56

Page 57: Internet banking project

2. Genuine cards are altered.3. Counterfeit cards are created.4. Fraudulent telemarketing is done with credit cards.5. Genuine cards are obtained on fraudulent applications in the names/addresses of other persons and used.

It is feared that with the expansion of E-Commerce, M-Commerce, and Internet facilities being available on massive scale, the fraudulent fund freaking via credit cards will increase tremendously. The shape it takes will be limited only by the ingenuity of the future.

9.5 Prevention of Frauds

9.5.1 Duplicate Card

The duplicate fraudulent credit cards are those where the defrauders have made sincere efforts to duplicate the original cards through photo-mechanical processes. They follow the footsteps of the original manufactures of the genuine credit cards to produce as close a replica of the genuine card as possible, employing similar materials and similar processes of printing and embossing, besides magnetic encodings.

9.5.2 White Plastic

The counterfeit credit cards known as ‘white plastics’ are imitations of credit cards in general aspect.

9.5.3 Banker’s Role

The credit card industry is one of the fastest growing activities of the banking industry. The artist has to be there (where the money is). The banks have to suffer losses.

9.5.4 Cyber Laws

Information Technology Ministry be approached for stringent laws against credit card crimes.

9.5.5 Altering Sales terminals

57

Page 58: Internet banking project

Internet E-Mail should be utilized on the pattern of Hot Box organized about a decade ago suitably modified to benefit from the advances the information technology has made since them.

9.5.6 Internet Relays

Computers should be pressed into service via internet connection by suitably upgrading the Television System Vertical blanking Intervals for notifying the fraudulent cards in the market.

9.5.7 Monitoring Deposit

Monitoring system can help locate the unscrupulous merchants who use or allow the use of ‘white plastics’ and fraudulent cards, knowing full well their fraudulent nature for making a fast back.

9.5.8 Risk Management

To meet the menace one of the top card companies has imitated risk management service to identify these high risk centres where daily all the inter-change transactions of the areas are scrutinized and the credit card number are checked against those which have been declared fraudulent, stolen or lost.

9.5.9 Central Credit Card Clearing House

There should be a joint list of credit card holders on central basis with their addresses and other details, if any. New applicants to any bank for credit cards should be checked: -• If he is holding card from other issuers.• If he has held a card at other times. If so, when? Why did he discontinue?• If he has applied to more than one credit card issuers• The new card holder’s business transactions should be watched for some time.

9.5.10 Loss of Credit cards in Transit

It must be prevented. It is simple for either the customer to collect personally

58

Page 59: Internet banking project

or the banker should deliver it personally, or it should be sent by courier and confirmation obtained on telephone, in addition to the paper receipt.

9.5.11 Fraud Consciousness

The problem of credit card frauds must be brought to the notice of users as well as of the servers at sale terminals. Proper training in the check up of the credit card in its various aspects has no substitute and in view of the huge issues the same is indispensable.

9.5.12 Physical Evidence

Immediately on the discovery of fraud all the physical evidence available should at once be taken into possession and the case reported to the police for investigation.

9.5.13 Check the Handwriting

Handwriting (in signatures) is available on sale drafts and on credit cards. The comparison of hand-writing inter se and with that of the suspect and of genuine card holders, can lead to the identity or non-identity of alleged writer.

10. Banks Control in Online Banking

59

Page 60: Internet banking project

10.1 Will Banks Control Online Banking?

Online banking is expected to explode in the next few years. We will be entering the age of non-physical exchange of cash aided by complete transparency leading to perfectly competitive electronic market place and inevitably to customer supremacy. Growth in online banking will be driven by the following reasons:

• Increasing access to low cost electronic services• Emergence of open standards in the banking industry• Improved customer awareness• Entry of global majors in the market • Integration of banking services with e-commerce and emergence of e-cash• Convenient international transactions as Internet eliminates geographic boundaries• Shift from one-stop shopping to unbundled product purchases

Internet Banking sites can be segregated into four categories from Level I, which offer just minimum functionalities such as access to one’s deposit account data, to Level IV sites that offer sophisticated services. To be successful, an Internet bank must offer:

• High rates on deposits• 24 hour access• Free checking and bill payment facilities with rebates on ATM surcharges• Credit cards with low rates• Simple and easy online applications for all accounts including personal loans• Innovative products• High quality customer service

A majority of leading online brokers are beginning to offer banking products and services as part of their overall offers. They are actively seeking to capture “excess” balances in existing checking and saving accounts by offering better rates. There are other threats to banks as well. Several leading system providers have developed “bank-in-a-box” solution – unbranded, electronic, full-service, virtual-bank system – that can be bought, branded,

60

Page 61: Internet banking project

and offered to consumer by any authorized company that wishes to provide banking service.

An online service that merely mimics an offline one has a second problem as well; it doesn’t give customers an adequate inducement to move a significant portion of their banking online. As a result, most customers tend to tend to treat online banking as no more than an extra channel to check their balance and transaction histories, and they continue to do the rest of their business at the ATM or the teller window.

A vicious offering increase the banks’ total costs. This makes the banks reluctant to make further large investments in the online channel, which thus, does nothing to move customers away from tellers and ATMs.

In fact, consumers didn’t stop using tellers to the extent that banks has hoped, but they also used ATMs so frequently that the reduction in cost per use was more than offset by the higher volume of transactions.

The study of Information Systems through broadband connection, through satellite, through a network or through a view chat. This online information system provides information about all aspects, Information providing on the demand of the subscriber. This online information system may be of study program, a graduation program or sharing of data through internets, extranet and internet.

10.2 Banking in the Cyber World

10.2.1 Internet Purchases without Payment Gateway

The dangers are three-fold:

• Since a manual process requires human intervention, risk of information leakage exists.• No exchange of Digital ID, so no authentication of the merchant – risk of bogus merchant.• No exchange of Digital Certificate to authenticate card holder – risk of repudiation of transaction by the card holder.

61

Page 62: Internet banking project

The benefits which the user would get by using the Internet payment gateway are:

• Card details travel encrypted on the Net (if encryption facility available on the gateway).• On-line status of order, if the gateway has on-line authorization.• Secure Merchant identification, so that fraudulent web sites posing as genuine merchants get weeded out.

What’s a Payment Gateway?

A payment gateway is software that supports multiple payment models simultaneously in a safe and secure manner. Funds can be transferred through credit, debit and smart cards, cheques, electronic payment wallets and even direct debits through a central payment switch. Put simply, a payment gateway enables on-line commercial transactions on the internet on a secure system, which have firewalls against hacking.

10.2.2 Risk of Gateways

• Currently, in India – HDFC Bank and ICICI – have launched payment gateways for Business to Customer (B2C) transactions.

• Payments can be effected through credit cards or through directly debiting the account of the customers of the respective banks.

• Some payment mechanisms on the Internet are not safe, as they are in the open-loop where a merchant portal can see the credit card number.

• This is unsafe for credit card holder and is susceptible to fraud as his number can be physically seen.

• The dust is yet to settle in the B2C payment gateways, but action is already heating up in the business to business (B2B) arena.

• Besides HDFC Bank and ICICI, Global Tele-System and a few other non-bank companies are toying the idea of launching payment gateways for inter bank and B2B transactions.

62

Page 63: Internet banking project

• No prizes for guessing who they are targeting, Nationalized banks, of course.

63

Page 64: Internet banking project

11. Case Study: State Bank of India

11.1 SBI Bank

The State Bank of India has been in operation since 1973 before which it had been operating under various other names since 1806, when it was first established in Calcutta. Since 1973, the bank has been in a non-profit activity called Community Services Banking. It is the largest public sector bank in the country. The bank has an extensive administrative structure to look after the smooth working of the large network of branches in India and abroad.

All the branches of the bank as well as administrative offices across the country sponsor and participate in large number of welfare activities and social causes. Its contribution and commitment to nation-building is complete and comprehensive. The State Bank of India has a Corporate Centre in Mumbai and 4 Local Head Offices and 57 Zonal Offices are located in important cities spread throughout the country. The Corporate Centre has several other establishments in and outside Mumbai, designated to cater to various functions. It has 10000 branches, all networked together, and over 8500 ATMs in India, and is continuing to expand fast. It presently has 82 foreign offices in 32 countries across the globe.

The Internet banking portal of State Bank of India enables its retail banking customers to operate their accounts from anywhere anytime, removing the restrictions imposed by geography and time. It's a platform that enables the customers to carry out their banking activities from their desktop, aided by the power and convenience of the Internet.

SBI Online offers information regarding the member's profile and details like the Account Summary, Account Balance, etc. In fact, it is almost like a virtual trip to your SBI Branch. With a secured login system, you can avail the Bank statement and then take a print out, at the same time, transferring Funds to any other SBI Account or an Account with any other Branch in India or Abroad is very easy and convenient.

To ensure safety and confidentiality of the critical information regarding our Account or SBI Cards like the SBI Credit Card or Debit Card, SBI Online

64

Page 65: Internet banking project

has the VeriSign Certification that acknowledges the security and safety parameters of the banking portal of The State Bank of India.

The SBI Internet Banking is one of its kind is many regards. The login and transaction on the website is so easy that even first-time users can access their account and perform the transaction functions with ease. The value added services enable us to make the payments of our Telephone Bills, Electricity Bills etc online and this reflects the reach of The State Bank of India to make our daily chores easy.

Availing the Internet banking services, you can do the following normal banking transactions online:

Self-account funds transfer across India. Third party transfers in the same branch New account opening Demand Draft requests Standing instructions New Cheque-book request and much more.

Apart from these, the other salient value-added features available are:

Railway tickets booking, Utility bill payments LIC and other insurance premia payments, SBI Mutual funds Investments Remit Subscription to PPF account, Credit card dues payments, Deposit your taxes, Donations to your religious inspirations Donations to Red Cross and such other organisations Setting up SMS alerts for transaction information.

Online Banking is about availing Banking Products and Services via Internet. State Bank of India Online has indeed revolutionized the Indian Online Banking System. State Bank of India Online services can be accessed from a branch network of over 9000 branches and 7 associate banks located even in the remotest parts of India. State Bank of India (SBI) offers a wide range of banking products and services to corporate and retail customers.

65

Page 66: Internet banking project

Performance:

State Bank of India had Total Income of Rs 68376.83 crore for the financial year 2006 -07. State Bank of India has posted Net Income to the tune of Rs 6364.38 crore or the financial year 2006 -07.

11.2 E-Mail Fraud

Online fraudsters targeted SBI customers through spam mail that asked them to disclose passwords and other information, but the bank said no financial loss was reported so far.

E-mails with the subject `Important information from State Bank of India' and `Official information from State Bank of India' started circulating from Monday. Once opened, the mail asked customers to click on a link.

"For security purposes your account has been randomly chosen for verification. To verify your account information we are asking you to provide us with all the data we are requesting. Otherwise we will not be able to verify your identity and access to your account will be denied. Please click on the link below to get to the SBI secure page and verify your account details. Thank you," the e-mail said.

The ingenuity of the e-mail is striking as when clicked on the link, it opens a Web page that is an exact replica of SBI's and simultaneously opens the bank Web site.

Customers were asked to key in their identification number, login and fund transfer passwords. The link, however, didn't work on Wednesday. An SBI spokesman said so far no financial loss was reported because of the fraud. "It's not easy to say how many of our customers have got it. First, we felt it will be a large number. But now our assessment is it's a small number," the spokesman said.

SBI sent e-mail to its customers, warning them about the fraud and urging not to respond to such mails. "Such fraudulent communication may also be sent via SMS or the phone," the bank said.

66

Page 67: Internet banking project

The SBI spokesman said the bank has alerted the cyber crime cells about the spam mails. But the origin of the spam mail had not been traced, he said. Such fraudulent mails are becoming rampant across the world as Internet banking has grown in popularity.

11.3 Online Fraud

CBD Belapur resident Vishal Sharma suffered a loss of Rs 95,000, which was transferred through 19 phone bank transactions in just two minutes.

While cyber criminals are on the prowl, the increasing number of online fraud has also put a question mark on the security system of banks. Vishal Sharma, a 45-year-old citizen from CBD Belapur, who lost Rs 95,000 to an online fraud, gave a letter to the Shivajinagar police station requesting the investigation officer, police sub inspector S B Ghorpade, to book the SBI authorities in the case.

The police have so far booked Bhavin Thakur of Chira Bazaar, Mumbai. That is because Sharma’s money was transferred into Thakur’s account on June 2. But Sharma has alleged that the loss occurred because SBI Bank failed to protect his account.

Sharma received a fraudulent e-mail on April 18, carrying a logo of SBI Bank, seeking his credit card account details. Taking it to be genuine request, he submitted the details. He then sent an e-mail to SBI Bank to check if they had actually sought the information.

On April 20, the bank replied that it was a fraudulent email. But on April 21, fraudsters used his credit card for booking tickets worth Rs 4,000 for Adlabs theatre, Mumbai. On April 21, the credit card was again used for online shopping worth Rs 3,083 through a US-based website.

Sharma received the customary SMS alert about this transaction. He immediately contacted the bank and submitted details of the illegal transactions. The bank replied that it was a “phishing” attack. The bank then blocked his credit card and issued a new one, assuring him that his account would be protected properly.

But again on June 2, Rs 95,000 was transferred from his savings account. A stunned Sharma filed a complaint with the Kothrud police on June 3.

67

Page 68: Internet banking project

The case was transferred to Shivajinagar police station since his account was with the Shivajinagar branch of SBI. “When I went to the bank with the police, a senior officer from the Operations Department said that money was transferred from my savings account through phone banking,” said Sharma.

“The officer said that my mobile number was changed from the system. The fraudster replaced it with an Airtel mobile number from Punjab and then transferred money to Thakur’s account through 19 phone banking transactions of Rs 5,000 each in just two minutes,” he added. “The money was further transferred to a private business firm’s account in Mumbai and withdrawn by the fraudster using cheques,” he added.

Sharma said that he had given his mobile phone number to SBI Bank only for receiving SMS alerts on account details. “I never used the net banking and phone banking facility. I don’t even remember the passwords required for these facilities. So there was no chance of me submitting the passwords to any phishing mail or person. I believe the fraud could have been avoided if SBI had not failed to keep vigilance on its internal security system,” he said. Sharma communicated with K V Kamath, the MD and CEO of the bank, requesting him to investigate the case and repay his money. After a 30-day internal investigation, SBI Bank replied that it was not at fault and would not compensate for the loss. So Sharma lodged a First Information Report (FIR) with the police on July 12. On Tuesday, the bank replied that his case would be re-investigated.

When contacted, SBI Bank Head (Corporate Communications) Charudutta Deshpande said, “SBI has a fool-proof security system. But we don’t doubt the genuineness of our customers. Proper investigations will be done.”

Police Sub-Inspector Ghorpade said, “We have dispatched a team to Mumbai for investigations. But there is not much progress because the bank has not yet given us complete information about the suspects.” “We have not yet booked the SBI officials. But we would be interrogating bank officials if required,” he said.

Pune police Cyber Committee Coordinator Sudam Choure said, “There have been cases in the past where secret information was leaked from banks.

68

Page 69: Internet banking project

Usually, the bank employees on contract basis or courier companies were involved in the frauds. There is need for the banks to increase their internal security system.”

11.4 Recommendations

• Technological development has been nothing less than explosion. Banks have been harnessing such technological innovations on one hand and adapting themselves to such changes on the other hand.

• The most significant event has been development of semi-conductor technology, which has resulted in spectacular expansion of automation.

• Processing, storage and transmission of information is very essence of banking and financial services.

• The electronic technology has bought revolutionary changes in these areas. The elimination of paper as medium for processing and storage of transactions / information has been a great event. Large volume of information can be processed, stored and retrieved very economically at terrific speed, which is not possible manually.

• The space required for managing enormous volume of information has been reduced dramatically.

• With the revolution in telecommunication technology, information can be made accessible from remote distance at lightning speed. The final output of information after manipulation and analysis can be printed by printer at high speed directly from computers.

• Thus, the computer now has the ability to retrieve data or update files instantaneously. Subsequently with the development in telecommunication, Local Area Network (LAN)/Wide Area Network (WAN) have been established

69

Page 70: Internet banking project

11.5 Suggestions

-To prevent online banking from remaining an expensive additional channel that does little to retain footloose customers, banks must act quickly.

-The first and most obvious step they should take is to see to it that the basic problem fuelling dissatisfaction has been addressed.

-After repairing this basic deficiency, banks must ensure that their services are competitive.

-Obviously, it should include checking, savings and brokerage services, which anchor customers to the institution.

-In addition, to meet the challenge of online brokerage and other new entrants, banks would need to add “supermarkets” selling products such as mortgage, mutual funds and insurance.

12. Banking in the next century

70

Page 71: Internet banking project

More and more non banking institutions are going to provide the banking functions than the designated banks in the coming century .Banks are going to be vanished from its existing strong positions. Financial liberalization, internationalization and technological advancement are going to further pressurize the banks to make their struggle for existence. If a bank overcome all these pressures survival of the fittest comes again because of the technological innovation and the type of competition in the banking industry.

Banks also need to revitalize their fee income flows to supplement and supplant if necessary their net interest margin for which they are required to reemphasis risk management on a daily basis .Banks are forced to give up isolated approaches to the challenges of competition profitably and risk management .Strategic panning has superseded the isolated approaches. The need for sound conceptual and technical skills has been seared into every bankers mind. For banks to survive profitable they have to improve the operational methods with latest hi-tech financial modeling content

12.1 Banks to focus on latest trends:

In the developing countries like India, Banks should have a long foresighted vision on   developments of banking operations. It has to observe what is happening in the developed countries and what is going to happen in India in near future with the following four trends

12.1.1 Financial Liberalization

Financial liberalization leads to the rise of non banks like finance companies, mutual funds, investment banks, insurance companies and even non-financial firms as purveyors of liquidity and risk management services.

12.1.2 Disintermediation

Disintermediation erodes banks' share and role because banks evolved within a culture of very cautions credit risk-taking. This culture has been encouraged or even demanded by regulators for which banks have erected expensive credit, audit and risk management departments. The rise of secondary markets for bank loans not only helps satisfy the liquidity needs of non-traditional investors but also conscripts banks' role.

71

Page 72: Internet banking project

12.1.3 Globalization

Globalization is a result of liberalization and disintermediation. It encourages consolidation and concentration within the industry. Mergers and acquisitions will be anointed on the industry and a large number of small banks disappear into a small number of large banks.

12.1.4 Technological innovation

 Technological innovation has rendered "information" as a serious input in the financial services industry. Home banking, banking by e-mail, the rise of electronic money, the increased use of electronic highway, etc., though remain unmatched by non bank competition, and have to become banks' forte for survival. In the late 1990s, the plastic cards market in India, comprising credit cards, smart cards, debit cards, charge cards, stored value cards and others picked up momentum like never before.

12.2 Conclusion

The banking scenario in 2007 could be similar to the one presented above, which requires banks to be proactive and adopt a range of measures to shape their future:

-Anticipate and prepare for regulatory change-Focus on identifying core competence and migrate to a business model of

choice.-Build an optimal operating model by understanding which activities to

retain collaborate and outsource.-Go beyond compliance to use risk management as a critical decision

support tool.-Create and sustain customer, investor and regulator confidence by adopting

international accounting standards and improving corporate governance.-The no of internet users and the developing technology paved the super

highway to internet banking.-The comfort and the security play a vital role in switching from the

traditional banking system to modern 24/7 net banking.-Increasing usage of mobile phones is going to revolutionize the banking

culture in near future.

72

Page 73: Internet banking project

-Carrying money in the form of plastic cards which is widely accepted every where to buy any thing is quite safe and give peace of mind to users is widely accepted.

               

13. Primary Data Analysis

73

Page 74: Internet banking project

A survey was conducted to determine people’s perception towards online banking and their expectations on internet banking services. The questionnaire was prepared for the purpose and response was analyzed.

The questions were distributed by hand to the people, some were queried by telephone while others replied by e-mail.

The questions were concerned with the personal information and characteristics of the respondent. Questions 1 to 5 test the user’s usage and the awareness of computing and internet technologies. Questions 6 to 11 deal with banking behaviour of respondent, their usage and responsiveness to new technology.

Objectives:

To identify the major factor why people opted to bank online. To understand the intention of users to use internet banking services.

To study the main reasons/owners that can affect the user’s intention for not using internet banking services provided by the banks.

Findings:

I have research that the internet is becoming increasingly important channel for the bank to provide banking services to both individual customers and businessmen.

I found that internet banking would almost certainly become a major full-fledged distribution channel of banking services and products in India within the next 3 years.

Evidence suggests that those who are banking with the larger bank are more likely to adopt internet banking.

I even found that internet banking is going to develop much faster than most people imagine and with the revolution, new financial system will evolve in many ways and even more secure than we have today.

74

Page 75: Internet banking project

It was interesting to analyze what made the people opt for internet banking services provided by the banks.

60% of the respondents were driven by convenience that internet banking offered, while 12% of them opted for online banking services because it saved a lot of time and money. Complementing this result was that another 8% of the population had opted net banking as they found it was much easier to maintain account through the internet.

It was even noted that respondents access their bank account from their workplace also (use office PC) during free time so, 14% of the surveyed population were convinced that internet banking was highly safe and secure and sometimes even safer than the traditional modes of banking and remaining 60% respondents found an internet banking service effective and simple to use.

The features considered important by those who have not yet opened an internet bank account said that security of the security of the transaction would be a very important factor, which might lead them to open an account. Other features considered important would be convenience and having a variety of features and services.

So, the big question here is, Is Internet banking for you?

Yes, if you need the convenience and speed. No, if you trust the internet as much as you trust your car mechanism.

75

Page 76: Internet banking project

14. Conclusion

Technology innovation and fierce competition among existing banks have enable a wide array of banking products and services, being made available to retail and wholesale customer through an electronic distribution channel, collectively referred to as e-banking. The integration of e-banking application with legacy system implies an integrated risk management approach for all banking activities of a banking institution. Latest recommendations of Basel Committee recognize that each bank’s risk profile is different and requires a tailored risk mitigation approach appropriate for the scale of e-banking operations, the materiality of the risks present and the willingness and ability of the institution to manage their risks. This implies that a “one size fits all” approach to e-banking risk management issues may not be appropriate.

Banks have traditionally been in the forefront of harnessing technology to improve product and efficiency. Technology is altering the relationships between banks and its internal and external customers. Technology has also eroded the entry barriers faced by many industries. With one time investment, technology has brought about superior products and channel management with a special focus on customer relationship. The incremental costs incurred for expansion and diversification are also more beneficial.

The major driving force behind the rapid spread of e-banking is its acceptance as an extremely cost effective delivery channel. But on the flipside, it is associated with risks such as reputation risk, security risk, cross-border risk and strategic risk, which are unique to e-banking. Banks need to have an effective disaster recovery plan along with comprehensive risk management tool is significant not only to the bank but also to the banking system as a whole. All these issues underscore the importance of sound supervisory policies and high level of international co-operation among the bank regulators. The Basel Committee on banking Supervision has taken the lead in this area through the creation of its Electronic Banking Group – a group comprising 17 central banks and bank supervisory agencies in the late 1999. The main focus of this group has been to develop sound risk management practices.

Internet has created plenty of opportunities for players in the banking sector. While the new entrants have the advantage of latest technology, the good-will of the established banks gives them a special opportunity to lead the

76

Page 77: Internet banking project

online world. By merely putting existing service online won’t help the banks in holding their customer close. Instead, banks must learn to capitalize their customer’s different online financial-services relationships. The article “Will Banks Control Online Banking?” focuses on how banks have to reinvent their role to remain as their customers’ preferred bank.

Coming home, India is on threshold of a major banking revolution with the invasion of net banking. With the concept of payment gateway coming in, banks are vying with one another for the lion’s share in the market. Highlighting the benefits of payment gateway over the open-loop payment mechanism, the article “Banking in the Cyber worlds” gives a brief report of the tug of war between the two major Indian e-banking players

77

Page 78: Internet banking project

15. Questionnaire

NameAddressGenderAgeOccupation

Q1) Are you aware of internet banking?

Yes No

Q2) Do you use internet banking?

Yes No

Q3) What is the name of the bank you have an account with?

Q4) What are the different types of accounts you maintain in your bank?

Savings bank A/C Current bank A/C

Loan A/C

Fixed Deposit

Recurring Deposit A/C

Others

78

Page 79: Internet banking project

Q5) How often do you use internet banking service?

Daily

Weekly

Monthly

Q6) Which place do you use to access your internet bank a/c?

Home PC

Office PC

Cyber Café

Others

Q7) What are the most important reasons you opened an internet bank a/c?

Convenience (24 hour service, anywhere connectivity)

Cheaper (Low service charges)

Time Saving

Effective

Safe & Secure to use

Easy to maintain your banking transactions

79

Page 80: Internet banking project

Q8) What was the single most important reason that you chose this particular bank as your internet bank?

I have a traditional bank A/C in the same bank

Brand name of the bank

Excellent service offered by the bank

Others (Specify)

Q9) What banking service do you use which your internet bank offers?

Seeking product & rate information

Fund Transfer

Check Balance (Online Statement)

Online Payment

Apply for consumer loan or credit cards

Others (Specify)

Q10) In addition to your internet bank A/C, do you also have a traditional bank A/C?

Yes No

80

Page 81: Internet banking project

16. Bibliography

Primary Data

Customer Survey through Questionnaire

Case study on State Bank of India

Visiting internet banking services websites

Secondary Data

College Library

Internet Websites

81